Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Ole Miss

Saturday, February 20

Oxford, Miss.

5:00 PM

Mississippi State

Ole Miss

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Gameday: Five Things to Know about MSU-Ole Miss

February 18, 2021 | Men's Basketball

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by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

OXFORD, Mississippi – After a rare midweek bye during conference play, the Mississippi State men's basketball team will look to bounce back in a big way when the Bulldogs travel to Ole Miss for a Saturday evening matchup.

The Bulldogs (11-11, 5-8 SEC) and Rebels (12-8, 7-6 SEC) have gone in opposite directions since the two teams first met at Humphrey Coliseum on 01/16. State has dropped six of its last seven SEC outings, while Ole Miss has won six of its last eight SEC games.

The Bulldogs will look to return to the win column after a pair of home losses to LSU (94-80 on 02/10) and Vanderbilt (72-51 on 02/13) from last week.

Mississippi State heads into this weekend's action tied for 10th place in the SEC standings with Auburn. Only two games separate fifth place from the 11th spot on the league table.

A balanced offensive attack has been a successful formula for State in 2020-21 as the Bulldogs has won eight of their 10 games in 2020-21 record when four players or more reach double figures.

Mississippi State has won the battle of boards against 17 of its 22 opponents in 2020-21, highlighted by a +10 rebounding margin in eight games. The Bulldogs hold the SEC's top spot limiting their opponents to 31.7 rebounds per game and a +6.9 rebounding margin.

Mississippi State is 6-1 when committing 12 turnovers or less and has won seven of its eight outings when knocking down at least eight three-pointers this season.

The Bulldogs are tied for third in the SEC with 270 second-chance points on the season and are fourth among SEC teams in paint points (702).

MSU-OLE MISS HARDWOOD SERIES
Overall, Mississippi State possesses a 145-118 series advantage. A victory would give a series split versus Ole Miss for the fourth consecutive season. The last two-game regular season sweep for the Rebels came in 2016-17.
State's last win in Oxford came during an 81-75 comeback triumph on 02/02/2019. Quindarry Weatherspoon dialed up 27 points, eight rebounds and four steals, while Reggie Perry notched 21 points and 11 rebounds highlighted by the go-ahead trey with 3:32 remaining.

The Matchup: Mississippi State (11-11, 5-8 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (12-8, 7-6 SEC)
Where: Oxford, Mississippi – The Pavilion at Ole Miss
When: Saturday, February 20, 5:00 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast (https://hailst.at/MBKLiveStats)

TV: SEC Network
Talent: Dave Neal, Jon Sundvold
DirecTV: Ch. 611, Dish: Ch. 404/408, AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 1607, MaxxSouth: Ch. 1026, C Spire: Ch. 220
Online: Watch ESPN app & Watch ESPN online (Cable Subscription Required)
(http://hailst.at/MSUvsOM022021)

Radio: Mississippi State Sports Network – Powered by Learfield IMG College
Talent: Neil Price
Affiliates: WKBB-FM 100.9 Starkville/West Point (Full List: https://hailst.at/MBKAffiliates)
Free Online Audio: Hail State Plus (https://hailst.at/MBKListen); Tune-In Radio App (https://hailst.at/MBKTuneIn)
Sirius/XM: Ch. 380 (XM), Ch. 970 (Internet)

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
1. Mississippi State has garnered 20+ overall wins in three straight seasons and captured 10+ SEC victories during back-to-back campaigns under sixth-year coach Ben Howland. The Bulldogs have amassed 79 victories since the start of the 2017-18 season which is fifth-most in the SEC, behind Auburn (92), Tennessee (89), Kentucky (88) and LSU (80). This year's squad will look to join the 1960-61, 1961-62 and 1962-63 teams as the only group in program history to win 10+ SEC games in three consecutive seasons.

Howland along with assistant coaches George Brooks, Korey McCray and Ernie Zeigler are in their sixth season together in Starkville during the 2020-21 season. The Bulldogs coaching quartet of head coach and three assistants is one of eight staffs in the country to remain together at the same school for the last six seasons. The other staffs include Michigan State (11th) led by Tom Izzo, West Virginia (9th) led by Bob Huggins, UAlbany (9th) led by Will Brown, Kansas (7th) led by Bill Self, Oregon (7th) led by Dana Altman, Vermont (7th) led by John Becker and Bradley (6th) led by Brian Wardle.

2. Iverson Molinar, Tolu Smith and D.J. Stewart Jr. are etching their names among the notable freshmen-to-sophomore jumps at Mississippi State, under Ben Howland and in the SEC over the last decade.
The trio has piled up 50 games in double figures, headed by 15 outings of 20-plus points. The Bulldogs are 9-0 when each member of the trio scores at least 10 points this season.

Molinar, Smith and Stewart Jr. have racked up 46.4 points per game, which is second-most in the SEC only behind LSU's Cameron Thomas, Trendon Watford and Javonte Smart. It also marks the highest MSU scoring trio since Ravern Johnson, Dee Bost and Renardo Sidney piled up 47.1 points per game during the 2010-11 season.

Molinar (16.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.1 SPG) has notched double figures in 17 of his 19 outings and during 21 of his 27 career starts. He secured a 20-point outing, his sixth of the season, versus Iowa State (01/30). MSU has racked up a 15-7 record when Molinar provides 10-plus points in his career. His 16.9 points are fourth, his 82.1 percent free throw percentage is fifth and his 47.8 field goal percentage is sixth on the SEC leaderboard. Molinar amassed career-highs with 24 points at Vanderbilt (01/09) and at Georgia (12/30). The Panama native has piled up nine of his top 10 career scoring efforts this season.

Molinar's 11.0 points per game improvement from his freshmen to his sophomore season is second among SEC players only behind Auburn's Allen Flanigan this season and is the sixth-highest in the SEC over the last decade. Current Toronto Raptors and former Ole Miss guard Terence Davis from the 2015-16 to 2016-17 season holds the decade's top spot at a 13.1 points per game improvement.

Stewart Jr. (16.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 SPG) has captured nine of his top 10 career scoring performances in 2020-21. He pumped home a SEC career-high 29 points and added three steals at South Carolina (02/06). Stewart Jr. exploded for a career-best 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting versus Dayton (12/12). The Bulldogs have posted a 22-10 record over the last two seasons when he scores 10-plus points.

The Grace, Mississippi, native has already surpassed his 2019-20 total with 18 games in double figures, highlighted by a 12 consecutive games to start the season. He piled up 24 points during the second half of State's 78-63 win over No. 13 Missouri (01/05). Stewart Jr.'s 16.7 points per game are fifth and his 42.6 percent shooting clip is 10th, his 1.5 steals are tied for 12th and his 77.2 free throw percentage is 15th among SEC leaders. He and Molinar are two of eight SEC players to have at least six games of 20-plus points this season.

Smith (12.8 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.0 APG) has collected 15 games in double figures during his first season with the Maroon and White. Prior to his time at MSU, his previous career-high was nine points against West Virginia (11/16/2018) while at Western Kentucky.

Smith is tied for first in the SEC with six double-doubles on the season, most recently with 24 points and 11 rebounds versus LSU (02/10) for his second 20-10 effort of the season. His career-bests are 27 points and 14 rebounds against Florida (01/16) where he tallied 17 of his 27 points, eight of his 14 rebounds and sank all six of his shot attempts during the second half.

Smith's 3.5 offensive rebounds per contest headline the SEC, while his 8.4 rebounds per game are second in the league rankings. His seven games of 10-plus boards also are tied for first, while his 4.9 defensive rebounds per game is sixth in the SEC. Smith has connected on 60-of-93 from the field (64.5 percent) over his last 12 appearances.

3. Abdul Ado (4.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.8 BPG), the SEC's active leader in blocks and rebounds, is scheduled to make his 120th career start during Saturday's Ole Miss game. The 120 starts would be good enough for sole possession of second place and would be three shy of passing the program's all-time leader Dee Bost (2009-10-11-12). He ranks first among Power five players and third overall among NCAA active players in blocks followed by tied for 10th place showing among active Power 5 players in rebounds.

Ado has ranked among the SEC's top 10 in blocks shots during all four seasons and his 1.8 blocks per game is fourth this season. Overall, Ado has piled up 222 career blocks, which ranks third in program history. His 1.85 career blocks per game also is third in program history, only behind NCAA all-time leader Jarvis Varnado and Erick Dampier. The Nigeria native has amassed 65 career games with multiple rejections.

Ado is Mississippi State's all-time field goal percentage leader heading into the Ole Miss contest among players with at least 250 baskets made. His 59.2 career shooting clip also checks in tied for seventh among active Power 5 players. Ado came away with a SEC season's best with 11 points against Florida (01/16) and hauled down a season-high 12 rebounds at No. 18 Tennessee (01/26). His 715 career rebounds sit 11th on MSU's all-time list and is 39 rebounds away from passing Jack Houston (1952-53-54-55).

4. Mississippi State's roster features a talented group of newcomers. The freshmen class is ignited by Derek Fountain (5.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG), Deivon Smith (5.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.0 APG) and Cameron Matthews (2.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.0 SPG). Smith and Matthews became the first true freshmen tandem to start a MSU season opener since Tyson Carter and Mario Kegler during the 2016-17 season.

Fountain fired in season's best 20 points and seven rebounds versus LSU (02/10) off the bench. Over his last five appearances, he has provided 9.0 points on 17-of-31 shooting (54.8 percent) and 3.4 rebounds per game. The 20-point game put Fountain in elite company with 1,000-point scorers Tyson Carter (2018-19-20-21), Lamar Peters (2017-18-19) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (2016-17-18-19) as the only four freshmen to secure 20-plus points coming off the bench during the Howland era. In fact, Fountain is one of seven MSU freshmen since 1988-89 to score 20-plus points during a SEC game off the bench.

Smith, the eighth ESPN top 100 signee to play with the Bulldogs under Howland, exploded for a career-best 13 points. He also handed out three assists and added two steals in his home state at Georgia (12/30). Smith has tallied five-plus points in eight of his 13 SEC games and dished out three or more assists in eight of his 13 SEC outings. He has distributed 44 of his 64 assists over his last 14 games and set a new career-high with nine dimes versus Iowa State (01/30).

Matthews has impacted the game on the defensive end with steals in 13 of his 21 appearances and registered multiple steals on six occasions. He secured the game-clinching steal on Vanderbilt's Scotty Pippen Jr. during the closing seconds in Nashville (01/09). Matthews came away with a SEC season's best of six points and a career-high seven rebounds at No. 18 Alabama (01/23).

MSU's freshmen class also features Keondre Montgomery, who coupled with Fountain and Matthews, are the state of Mississippi's top three prospects for the Class of 2020.

5. The Bulldogs also have received solid contributions from Jalen Johnson (5.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG), Javian Davis (2.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG) and Quinten Post (3.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG).

Johnson has piled up 1,179 points and 533 rebounds over 119 career games with his previous stops being at Saint Louis and Louisiana-Lafayette. He has amassed 58 career outings of 10-plus points and 11 outings of 20-plus points. Johnson has knocked down at least one trey in 14 of his 20 appearances and multiple three's in six outings during the 2020-21 campaign.

Davis posted 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game over his 31 appearances as a redshirt freshmen at Alabama in 2019-20. His top Bama performance was a 20-point, 10-rebound effort against South Carolina (02/29/2020). Davis chipped in SEC season-high of five points, seven rebounds and two assists versus Kentucky (01/02) and returned to the rotation after a four-game absence against Ole Miss (01/19).

Post fired in a career-best 10 points versus Mississippi Valley State (12/21) to claim his first career game in double figures. He came away with a SEC season's best six points at Arkansas (02/02). Post also collected a career-best 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals at No. 18 Tennessee (01/26). The Netherlands native has scored in 17 of his 28 career appearances at Mississippi State.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
Ole Miss has won all four of its February games to claim the SEC's longest active winning streak. The Rebels notched home wins over No. 11 Tennessee (52-50 on 02/02) and No. 10 Missouri (80-59 on 02/10) coupled with road triumphs at Auburn (86-84 on 02/06) and at South Carolina (81-74 on 02/13).

The Ole Miss defense has forced its opponents into 16.9 turnovers per contest and secured 172 steals. Both marks rank inside the nation's top 20.

Devontae Shuler (16.3 PPG, 3.6 APG, 1.7 SPG) has amassed double figures in 10 consecutive games, headed by a quartet of 20-plus performances. He poured a career-best 31 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks at South Carolina (02/13). Shuler has drained at least three triples in seven games and dialed up 43 three-pointers on the season. He is the SEC's active leader in assists (310) and steals (176) Shuler's 1,232 career points is only behind Alabama's John Petty Jr. on the SEC's active scoring list.

Romello White (11.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.2 BPG), a transfer from Arizona State, has garnered double-digit points in three of his last four outings. He pumped in 30 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks at Auburn (02/06). White has drained 66.4 percent of his shots in 2020-21 and his 61.6 career clip is fourth among Power 5 active players in field goal percentage.

Jarkel Joiner (11.0 PPG, 1.3 SPG) has reeled off 10-plus in six of his last nine efforts fueled by three games of 20-plus points. He amassed a season's best 22 points against Georgia (01/16) along with a pair of 21-point efforts against Texas A&M (01/23) and No. 10 Missouri (02/10).

KJ Buffen (8.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.0 SPG) and Luis Rodriguez (7.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.8 SPG) have chipped in a combined 13 games with double-digit points. Rodriguez racked up a season's best 15 points against No. 10 Missouri (02/10), whereas Buffen notched 12 points at South Carolina (02/13) last time out.

As of late, Robert Allen (4.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG) has upped his marks 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game over his last five outings. He equaled his season-high of 12 points at Auburn (02/06).

FROM THE BENCH – HEAD COACH BEN HOWLAND MEDIA SESSION
Q: Facing Ole Miss, the biggest thing comes to mind is 1-3-1 trap and their press that has given your team's problems over the years. How do you attack it, and what's the best way to have success against it?
BH: "When we played them here the last time, they only ran that [the 1-3-1 trap] twice during the whole game. What really bothered us the last time we played them, which was their 2-3 zone. So, that's something that we've been working a lot on."

"But in terms of how we attack their 1-3-1, there's a certain way to do it. It's the most effective way, but I'm not going to discuss the strategy behind that right now on this call."

Q: It was a tough night for your team the last time you all faced Ole Miss. What adjustments is your team going to make from your first meeting to avoid what happened during the game in Starkville?
BH: "Number one would be to be tougher. I thought they came out and really took us out of what we wanted to do offensively by just fighting through screens by being tougher and playing harder."

"They were at 1-4 [in the SEC] at that time, and the tables have been turned. We're really struggling now. They've won four games in a row. They're playing great. They're really one of the hottest teams in our league right now. We've lost six-of-seven in the conference. So, we've just got to come and play as hard and as tough as we can. That's the bottom line. Hard and as tough as we can and play together. I know there's going to be adversity. There's going to be runs – [we need to] be able to stick together through it all and find a way."

Q: From a practice standpoint, what was it like having to reshuffle things around from schedule changes dealing with the weather this week?
BH: "It was really problematic, even Tuesday was a problem because of the roads. Just taking into account everybody that had to come out. I had two of my employees who couldn't even get out of their neighborhoods because it was so iced over. So, it was very problematic."

"I think the league did the right thing by calling off our Thursday [game] after rescheduling our Tuesday game against Auburn because it's still fairly unsafe out there. I'm glad they did that. I'm really happy. It's a lot safer outside now to move around here in Mississippi at least."

"So, it's been very difficult, but I thought we had good practices the last two days. We've got to have another good one today to get ready for tomorrow."

Q: Do you think the extended break might help your players like D.J. [Stewart Jr.], Iverson [Molinar] and Tolu [Smith] who have logged a lot of minutes to give them more rest?
BH: "Someone asked me that earlier today on a different call, and I said that the silver lining is yes. To me, getting those days off will probably help them in terms of just getting their legs back when they're getting worn down over the course of a long season. I'm looking for a silver lining in this, and I'm hoping that that is the case. So, we'll find out."

Q: What you've seen from Ole Miss, what do you think has been the difference maker for them during their recent winning streak?
BH: "I think that they were always playing good defense. I think they've really done a good job of that from the beginning of the season. I think they're offense has really taken off. Romello White has been very effective inside. He had a huge game with Auburn a week and a half, two weeks ago where he had over 30 points. [Devontae] Shuler has been very consistent. He's an all-league player in our conference. A really good player. I think [Jarkel] Joiner has really come on here since conference started and asserted himself. He wasn't even starting there all the time. He's definitely one of their top three scorers night in and night out and really playing well."

"You look at the veteran guys that they went out and recruited like Romello White, like [Robert] Allen. Allen has been a big edition for them too at the power forward position. He really gives them some experience. They've had good minutes from guys that are older. I feel like they handled the early rough start well, mentally, and fought their way through it."

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs wrap up their 2020-21 home slate with a pair of return games versus South Carolina (Wednesday) and No. 8 Alabama (Saturday). Tip time for the South Carolina game is on-tap for 6 p.m. CT from Humphrey Coliseum, televised by SEC Network and available online courtesy of the Watch ESPN app.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.